Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G vs. S22 Ultra 5G: A Deep Dive Comparison
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing battery life, camera versatility, and a more robust build, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G is the clear winner. Its 108-hour endurance rating and superior display brightness outweigh the Z Fold3's innovative form factor. However, power users demanding multitasking and a larger screen will find the Z Fold3 compelling.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 48, 66 - Europe | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - International |
| 5G bands | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - International |
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G (5+ Gbps DL) |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 2, 5, 25, 41, 66, 71, 78, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 41, 66, 71, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - USA | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2021, August 11 | 2022, February 09 |
| Status | Available. Released 2021, August 27 | Available. Released 2022, February 25 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus) (folded), plastic front (unfolded), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus+), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus+), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | Unfolded: 158.2 x 128.1 x 6.4 mmFolded: 158.2 x 67.1 x 14.4-16 mm | 163.3 x 77.9 x 8.9 mm (6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + eSIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 271 g (9.56 oz) | 228 g / 229 g (mmWave) (8.04 oz) |
| IPX8 water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Armor aluminum frame with tougher drop and scratch resistance (advertised) Stylus support | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Armor aluminum frame with tougher drop and scratch resistance (advertised) Stylus, 2.8ms latency (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | - | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ |
| Resolution | 1768 x 2208 pixels (~374 ppi density) | 1440 x 3088 pixels, 19.3:9 ratio (~500 ppi density) |
| Size | 7.6 inches, 179.9 cm2 (~88.8% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.8 inches, 114.7 cm2 (~90.2% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Foldable Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (peak) | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1750 nits (peak) |
| Cover display: Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 6.2 inches, 832 x 2268 pixels, 25:9 ratio | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) | Octa-core (1x2.8 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A510) - EuropeOcta-core (1x3.00 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510) - ROW |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) | Exynos 2200 (4 nm) - EuropeQualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm) - ROW |
| GPU | Adreno 660 | Xclipse 920 - EuropeAdreno 730 - ROW |
| OS | Android 11, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 6.1 | Android 12, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 8 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM |
| UFS 3.1 | UFS 3.1 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | LED flash, HDR, panorama | Laser AF, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Quad | - | 108 MP, f/1.8, 23mm (wide), 1/1.33", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.52", 1.12µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 10 MP, f/4.9, 230mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.52", 1.12µm, PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, Super Steady video |
| Triple | 12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.76", 1.8µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.4, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.6", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 2x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 123˚, 12mm (ultrawide), 1.12µm | - |
| Video | 4K@60fps, 1080p@60/240fps (gyro-EIS), HDR10+ | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 4 MP, f/1.8, 2.0µm, under display Cover camera: 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3", 1.22µm | 40 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.82", 0.7µm, PDAF |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD | 5.2, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.2 | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung DeX (desktop experience support) Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 25W wired 11W wireless 4.5W reverse wireless | 45W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Po 4400 mAh | Li-Ion 5000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Phantom Black, Phantom Silver, Phantom Green, Thom Browne Edition, Wooyoungmi Edition | Phantom Black, White, Burgundy, Green, Graphite, Red, Sky Blue, Bora Purple |
| Models | SM-F926B, SM-F926B/DS, SM-F926U, SM-F926U1, SM-F926W, SM-F9260, SM-F926N | SM-S908B, SM-S908B/DS, SM-S908U, SM-S908U1, SM-S908W, SM-S908N, SM-S9080, SM-S908E, SM-S908E/DS |
| Price | € 453.57 / $ 367.74 / £ 449.99 | € 397.07 / $ 269.98 / £ 304.99 / ₹ 63,899 |
| SAR | 0.73 W/kg (head) 1.22 W/kg (body) | 1.18 W/kg (head) 0.98 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 1.04 W/kg (head) 1.44 W/kg (body) | 1.05 W/kg (head) 1.58 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | Endurance rating 75h | Endurance rating 108h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -25.6 LUFS (Very good) | -27.3 LUFS (Good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 635918 (v8), 752218 (v9) GeekBench: 12719 (v4.4), 3239 (v5.1) GFXBench: 38fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 968359 (v9) GeekBench: 3657 (v5.1) GFXBench: 37fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
- Innovative foldable display for multitasking
- Unique form factor and premium design
- S Pen support (optional)
- Lower battery life (75h endurance)
- Less durable display and hinge
- Under-display camera quality is subpar
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G
- Superior camera system with excellent zoom capabilities
- Longer battery life (108h endurance)
- Brighter and more durable display
- Less innovative form factor
- Potential for thermal throttling (Exynos variant)
- Larger and heavier than traditional smartphones
Display Comparison
The S22 Ultra’s 1266 nits of peak brightness significantly surpasses the Z Fold3’s 922 nits, making it far more usable in direct sunlight. While the Z Fold3’s foldable display is innovative, the S22 Ultra’s panel benefits from a higher contrast ratio (infinite, nominal) and a more durable construction. Both utilize dynamic refresh rates, but the Z Fold3’s inner display, while large, is more prone to creasing and requires more careful handling. The S22 Ultra’s smaller, more manageable size is a benefit for one-handed use.
Camera Comparison
Both phones offer versatile camera systems, but the S22 Ultra’s setup is more consistently impressive. While both capture photo and video, the S22 Ultra’s larger main sensor and advanced image processing algorithms deliver superior detail, dynamic range, and low-light performance. The Z Fold3’s under-display camera suffers from noticeable image quality degradation, a problem absent in the S22 Ultra’s traditional punch-hole selfie camera. The S22 Ultra’s 10x optical zoom lens provides significantly greater reach than the Z Fold3’s limited zoom capabilities.
Performance
The S22 Ultra’s chipset varies by region – the Exynos 2200 (Europe) or Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (ROW) – both built on a 4nm process, offering a performance edge over the Z Fold3’s 5nm Snapdragon 888. The Cortex-X2 core in the S22 Ultra’s processors provides a slight CPU performance boost, while the Adreno 730 (Snapdragon) or Xclipse 920 (Exynos) GPUs offer improved graphics capabilities. However, the Exynos 2200 has been known to exhibit thermal throttling under sustained load, a potential issue the Snapdragon 888 in the Z Fold3 is less prone to, despite its older architecture. Both phones feature ample RAM, but the S22 Ultra’s LPDDR5X RAM offers faster data transfer speeds.
Battery Life
The S22 Ultra’s 108-hour endurance rating is a substantial improvement over the Z Fold3’s 75-hour rating. This translates to a real-world difference of several hours of usage per charge. The S22 Ultra also supports 45W wired charging with PD3.0, allowing for significantly faster charging times compared to the Z Fold3’s 25W charging. While both offer 4.5W reverse wireless charging, the S22 Ultra’s larger battery capacity provides more headroom for powering other devices.
Buying Guide
Buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G if you absolutely need a large, foldable display for enhanced productivity, immersive media consumption, and are willing to accept compromises in battery life and durability. Buy the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G if you prioritize a top-tier camera system, all-day battery life, and a more conventional, yet incredibly refined, smartphone experience. The S22 Ultra is the safer, more practical choice for most.